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Thursday, December 22, 2022

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…”



Early morning, and I sit happily here under my Christmas tree! It’s only a foot and a half tall, but it perches atop one of my bookcases, so when I sit in the closest chair to that bookcase, as I am doing this morning, I look up at the lighted tree above. Yes, lighted! Our grandson’s family sent a string of tiny battery-operated lights just the right size for an 18” tree, so after sunset last night and early this morning I turned on the tree lights and am absurdly pleased. Adding to the effect and my happiness is the shape of the lights: each one is a miniature Eiffel Tower!



Next to the tree, what started out as a neat stack of holiday cards (actually, in the beginning I was standing them up until there were too many for the space) is now a sweet, slippy, messy pile, telling me every time I look that way that faraway friends have remembered me. There are also little presents that arrived early, and rather than put them away I arranged them on top of the bookcase where they make me smile, reminding me of family who love me.

 

On the table are pots of poinsettias that a neighbor bought for a dinner party and then passed along to me. So bright and beautiful! 



As is true for so many of you, I was happy to have the winter solstice arrive and to know that our hours of daylight will now grow longer and longer, but at the same time, with lights on my little tree I look forward to the dark of evening and don’t mind the dark of early morning, either. 

 

Funny how much difference a few tiny lights can make, isn’t it? 




Happy Holidays –

Let your little lights shine!


10 comments:

Karen Casebeer said...

Thank you! This was wonderful. Lights do make a difference. Happy holidays.

P. J. Grath said...

All the difference in the world! Thank YOU for commenting and for the holiday wishes! And may you have light, wherever you are! -- If power goes out in northern Michigan, I hope all my friends have candles!

Dawn said...

One of the best parts of Christmas are the lights. I rarely want to take them down. The tree outside will stay lit till February.

P. J. Grath said...

Dawn, I heartily agree. One year I left my tree up until March -- just because I could! We lived in Leland then, next to the courthouse, and I told David that when the lights came off the courthouse tree, I'd take down ours.

Anonymous said...

Love your story of the lights. I mistyped live the story of the lights. Maybe that is what I really meant.

P. J. Grath said...

Life and love -- I see what you mean, yes.

Barbara Stark-Nemon said...

Wishing you the best of holiday time, and most certainly, a better year to come!

P. J. Grath said...

Barbara, I'm kind of afraid to wish for a "better" year, since that's what David and I said at the end of 2021. But yes, let's all hope!

Robert Wesley said...

Reflective and delightful. I was particularly moved by your words surrounding "...count your blessings...". It reminded me of an insight I had about my brother on Thanksgiving. Though I still miss him very much, I realized that, along with grief, I was thankful for the 72 years I had with him.

P. J. Grath said...

Bob, I think you meant to leave this comment on the succeeding post, but mystery solved -- I found it -- and I'm glad you had that insight about the good fortune of long years with your brother. I know I was very fortunate to have as many years with David as I had -- that WE were very fortunate to have all those years together. Glad you and I are in each other's family now, too!